HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STÉPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 19 DECEMBER 2024
SECRETARY-GENERAL/SYRIA
This morning, in a press encounter, the Secretary-General said that the Middle East is now being consumed by many fires, but today there is a flame of hope in Syria, and we share that hope with the Syrian people and we stand with them, he said.
The political transition ahead must be by Syrians, and for all Syrians, Mr. Guterres added. It must be inclusive, it must be credible, and it must be peaceful, and the process must be guided by the underlying principles of Security Council Resolution 2254.
We, at the United Nations, he said, are focused on facilitating such a process, adding that he had been in close contact with a number of leaders from across the region and beyond.
Mr. Guterres also announced the appointment of Karla Quintana of Mexico as Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria. She and her team must be allowed to carry out their mandate, he said, and we have sent an official announcement on that a bit earlier.
Mr. Guterres also warned that if the ongoing situation is not managed carefully—by the Syrian people themselves, with the support of the international community—there is a real risk that progress could unravel.
He stressed that adequate funding for humanitarian and recovery responses is critical, and made a strong appeal to the international community to show the generosity the Syrian people deserve in this moment and to massively support the humanitarian response in Syria. The $4 billion Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 is only 33 per cent funded, with just only $1.3 billion received.
SYRIA/HUMANITARIAN
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, is on his way to Türkiye, after wrapping up his visit to Syria. In Ankara, he will continue his discussions on recent developments in the Middle East region with officials there.
In Syria, he traveled to Idlib in the north-west where he visited a camp for displaced human beings.
Mr. Fletcher met families who voiced their need for immediate services and for the rehabilitation of their homes and land before they could return to their places of origin. Unexploded ordnance poses a major risk to civilians, including children, and must be cleared, Mr. Fletcher said.
The UN and its partners are responding as security and logistical conditions permit.
Since November 27th, more than 1.3 million people have received food aid across the country, including hot meals. However, the rapid devaluation of the Syrian pound is impacting availability of food.
In Aleppo, bakeries have resumed activities at near full capacity, but partners report that they observe long queues and crowding.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also reports that the rehabilitation of key facilities has begun in relatively stable areas in the northwest, including hospitals in Homs and road repairs in Aleppo.
The water supply in Aleppo was also restored yesterday, following a six-day suspension, thanks to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) interventions.
In Hama, 30 health facilities remain non-functional. In north-east Syria, 14 health facilities continue to be suspended due to reports of vandalism, looting, and lack of access.
Other health facilities maintain only basic services due to severe shortages of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, compounding the situation for the 44,000 displaced people in the region.
OCHA also says that evacuation orders by the Israeli army triggered displacements in southern Syria. According to partners, some villages in Quneitra Governorate saw 40 per cent of their residents leaving.
OCHA repeats that those fleeing fighting must be allowed to do so safely and voluntarily return when the situation allows.
For her part, the Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, engaged in a virtual townhall with over 200 Syrian youth, half of whom were women, from Syria and the diaspora.
The event highlighted the critical role of youth in Syria's transition, focusing on their aspirations and concerns. Key issues raised included the need for inclusive governance in line with Security Council resolution 2254, justice and accountability, and ensuring youth representation.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
This morning, the Secretary-General spoke to Security Council members on Artificial Intelligence and the maintenance of peace and security.
He said that AI is not just reshaping our world – it is revolutionizing it. But he warned that the risks are huge as AI’s rapid growth is outpacing our ability to govern it – raising fundamental questions about accountability, safety, and security.
“Artificial Intelligence without human oversight would leave the world blind, he said, and perhaps
nowhere more perilously and recklessly than in global peace and security. The Secretary-General also added that humans must always retain control over decision-making functions – guided by international law. He also urged Member States to move swiftly in establishing the International Scientific Panel on AI and launching the Global Dialogue on AI Governance within the United Nations.
SECRETARY-GENERAL/EGYPT SUMMIT
The Secretary-General also sent a video message today to participants of a meeting in Cairo, and that was the 11th summit of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation. The D-8 - also known as the Developing-8 – brings together Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Türkiye.
In his message, he spoke about a range of topics - including Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and the wider region.
He said that peace, hope and a better future for the people of the region and our world are fundamental, adding that as the Summit’s theme this year focuses on the future, that means investing in youth – in their ideas, energy and meaningful participation. Investing in education, skills, and training for young people is a vital part of that.
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) today said that hostilities around the Gaza Strip continue to cause widespread death and destruction, including in Al Mawasi, where Israeli forces have been pushing people to move.
There have been reports of heavy fire in this area on Monday and Tuesday, which also impacted the premises of a number of humanitarian organizations.
One field hospital was forced to suspend services on Tuesday but resumed operations yesterday.
Across Gaza, we, and our partners, face restrictions and other conditions that are severely impeding aid operations. Today, Israeli authorities denied another UN request to reach besieged areas of North Gaza with food and water. As a result, Palestinians in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, and parts of Jabalya remain cut off from the essential assistance they need to survive.
Once again, we stress that facilitating humanitarian assistance – as well as commercial goods – both into and within the Gaza Strip, and ensuring aid operations can be carried out safely, is essential to address the needs of people.
SUDAN/FAMINE
The World Food Programme (WFP) today warned that Sudan risks becoming the world’s largest hunger crisis in recent history and the only place globally where famine has been confirmed today.
WFP explains that nearly 1.7 million people across the country either face famine or are at risk of famine.
As you know, famine is happening in North Darfur’s Zamzam camp while 13 other areas are at risk of famine. The 14 famine and risk of famine areas are concentrated in places where fighting is the worst.
So, one can imagine that this makes reaching people with assistance much more dangerous and much more unpredictable.
To put this in context, 25.6 million men, women and children – that’s over half the population - are acutely food insecure. This is the highest food insecurity ever recorded by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in Sudan.
On top of that, 1 in every 2 people globally facing catastrophic levels of hunger lives in Sudan - that is more than 750,000 Sudanese.
A record 4.7 million children under the age of five and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls are suffering from acute malnutrition.
WFP has surged its operations across Sudan, part of a scale-up effort to reach millions of people in the country’s most needy and isolated conflict areas.
In October, the World Food Programme reached 2.8 million people – the highest number recorded for any given month since the start of the conflict mid-April 2023.
WFP calls on world leaders to treat the Sudan crisis with the urgency it deserves before it further destabilizes an already fragile region. The international community must step up attention, diplomatic efforts, and funding.
For their part, and outside the borders of Sudan, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that they - alongside aid partners - continue to work closely with governments and national and local organizations in neighbouring countries to respond to the needs of more than 3 million new refugees, asylum seekers and returnees, who have crossed borders to seek safety.
People’s most urgent needs are water, food, shelter, health and cash assistance, as well as protection services. In particular, the dire health situation among new arrivals is increasingly concerning and requires urgent attention.
Just to note that our Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, will brief the Security Council in an open meeting on Sudan this afternoon. He will do that remotely from Türkiye.
SUDAN/POLITICAL
The Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, concluded his meetings in Mauritania, in the capital Nouakchott. He attended “the Third Consultative Meeting on Enhanced Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts for Sudan.” Mr. Lamamra said that it is our collective responsibility to do everything possible to end the heartbreaking suffering in Sudan, which has been ongoing for too long.
Participants, for their part, emphasized the pressing need to reach a ceasefire in Sudan for achieving peace and stability in the country. They urged the warring parties to fully adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law and their commitments made under the Jeddah Declaration.
The participants also reaffirmed their intention to enhance coordination and intensify efforts.
SOUTH SUDAN
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is alarmed by the rising tension in the Tambura region of Western Equatoria state. It urged all involved parties to demonstrate restraint.
Meanwhile, the peacekeepers are patrolling day and night and are supporting humanitarian partners who are providing urgent assistance.
Unfortunately, in addition to reported casualties, these recent developments have led to an influx of people in the Internally Displaced Persons camp adjacent to the Mission’s temporary operating base, and several other similar camps.
UNMISS said it will continue engaging with authorities, political actors, security personnel, community and faith-based leaders to try to defuse the current tensions.
TROPICAL CYCLONE CHIDO
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that additional resources are urgently needed to support people impacted by Tropical Cyclone Chido in the country.
According to the Government’s latest figures, the cyclone has impacted more than 329,000 people, with some 52,000 homes been either damaged or destroyed.
The UN and its partners are working to scale up the response, despite funding shortfalls. UN agencies have distributed shelter and non-food items to at least 10,000 people, and the UN’s mobile medical clinics in Cabo Delgado province have provided primary health care consultations to some 1,500 people who needed them. In Mecufi, also in Cabo Delgado, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners have distributed nutrition supplies for 6,000 children, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene kits for 5,000 people.
VANUATU
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, today allocated an initial $1 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support immediate response efforts following the earthquake that struck earlier this week. The funds will go towards providing water, shelter and food.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that aftershocks and transport disruptions are challenging aid operations. Telecommunications and water supply networks are not operating in some areas.
The UN is supporting the national response, including through the Pacific Humanitarian Aviation Service that is being activated to transport humanitarian personnel and cargo from Fiji to Port Vila.
For its part, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have supported the delivery of tanks to ensure continued access to clean water, and as we mentioned yesterday, a UN Disaster and Assessment Coordination team is being mobilized to support the response.
UN OFFICE FOR WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHEL/PRESS ENCOUNTER
Tomorrow afternoon, following his briefing at the Security Council - the Head of our Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, will be available to talk to journalists at the stakeout.
***The guest at the Noon Briefing was Georgios Petropoulos, the Head of OCHA’s suboffice in Gaza. He briefed journalists on the humanitarian situation in the region.
